


cross my mind.

by kams_xx



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Akaashi Keiji in Love, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Office, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bokuto Koutarou Being Bokuto Koutarou, F/M, Falling In Love, Fanfiction, Friendship/Love, Haikyuu - Freeform, Hook-Up, Jealous Kuroo Tetsurou, Kissing, Kuroo Tetsurou in Love, Love, Love Confessions, Love Triangles, Mentioned Kozume Kenma, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content, Mild Smut, Office, Owl Bokuto Koutarou, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, True Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:47:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 19,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28151850
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kams_xx/pseuds/kams_xx
Summary: 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐚 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝.. ˚*  * 　　　 ⊹  ˚  .    　　.⊹  ·  ✧ 　　　*    *. 　　  ⊹  ✦  　 ✵  　　　　　** .　  ·. 　 　  *.haikyuu x reader fan fiction // kuroo + bokuto + akaashiPLAYLIST01 prism // ampm + miyuna02 nandemonaiya // radwimps03 bite // troye sivan04 polaris // aimer05 (can we be friends?) // conan gray06 jealous // eyedress07 golden // harry styles08 bad idea // girl in red09 you know it // colony house10 dress // taylor swift11 the night we met // lord huron12 almost (sweet music) // hozier13 somebody else alt edit // the 197514 electric // alina baraz + khalid15 koi no uta instrumental // leon alex16 drivers license // olivia rodrigo17 unrequited love (+ other cliches) // breakup shoes18 aoibridge // sayuri19 ふたりごと feat 春茶 // kobasolo + harucha* a/n: all characters have been aged up // basing kind of off the manga ages rather than the anime ages-pls keep in mind.I do not own haikyuu or any of its characters.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Reader, Bokuto Koutarou/Reader, Kuroo Tetsurou/Reader
Comments: 11
Kudos: 91





	1. 01

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // 𝓹𝓻𝓲𝓼𝓶 - 𝓪𝓶𝓹𝓶 + 𝓶𝓲𝔂𝓾𝓷𝓪

(L/n)(Y/n) stood still in the middle of the busy sidewalk. People brushed passed you, bumping into you occasionally. String lights lined the street and hung off of tress, while the bustle was loud from conversations and music. You held tightly onto your hot cider, bouncing in place trying to keep warm. 

Where is he? You thought anxiously. You wanted to start moving through the crowd to find an open spot, but you knew Kuroo was somewhere mixed in.

It wasn't exactly typical of Kuroo to be late since he was know to always be on time. You assumed it was due to the fact that he was bringing some of his friends from high school along to visit one of the nearby shrines for the New Year. You were a little nervous to meet his friends, and being the only girl for that matter. Despite the fact that you were comfortable with Kuroo at work, you never had a chance to get together outside of it.

You had only known Kuroo a short while, working at the Japan Volleyball Association. You had applied to a job in the marketing department once you moved to Tokyo, and received an offer not long after. It wasn't exactly what you were hoping to do when you moved to the city, but you were grateful you even found a job so quickly. Luckily, you two became close as he showed you around the company and got you settled, making it easier for you to adjust. You thought he was sweet, but intimidating.

So, when he asked you a couple of days ago if you were busy, you were quick to say nothing, not knowing he was going to offer you to go out with him and friends. You felt as though it was impossible to say no. You liked Kuroo, you even felt as though you had a crush on him. It seemed childish to say that, but you didn't know how else to describe it. The only thing was, you didn't want to be involved with anyone from work.

A pang of regret coursed through your body. Maybe this was a bad idea. The last thing you wanted was to fall for Kuroo more than you already did. 

"Y/n!" You heard your name being called, snapping you out of your thoughts, but you couldn't tell the direction. You soon caught a glance at his tall frame making his way towards you. He wore a dark sweater and cuffed gray slacks. He wore an oversized scarf and a long jacket. It was different seeing him outside of work attire.

"Sorry we're late," Kuroo rubbed the back of his neck, laughing a little bit, "This guy kept getting distracted on our way here."

He slapped the white, spikey haired boy on the shoulder, catching his attention. He looked at you naturally wide-eyed.

"Hey hey hey! I'm Bokuto! Kuroo told us all about you on his way here," Bokuto laughed, avoiding Kuroo's next attempt to hit him.

You giggled, noticing how playful they were for adults. You remembered Kuroo mentioning that Bokuto played volleyball professionally, and how easy it was to stay in contact because of their jobs. You somewhat envied that they still maintained their friendship.

While Kuroo tried quietly to tell Bokuto to shut up, you smiled at the other two who seemed totally unfazed as to what was going on beside them. One had half his face buried in his jacket, and his hair was tied back. He seemed tired, like he didn't want to be there. The other one was taller, and wore thick-rimmed glasses. He smiled softly at you.

"I'm Akaashi, and this is Kenma," He motioned to Kenma who just nodded.

You nodded back politely, "Nice to meet the both of you."

You couldn't help it, but you couldn't stop staring into Akaashi's gunmetal blue eyes. You were awestruck at how pretty they were, with the lights twinkling inside them. Your mind couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful he was either. 

Kuroo put his hand on your shoulder, pulling you out of your daze, "Let's get going."

The group of you started walking down the crowded sidewalk towards your destination. 

"What are you going to wish for, Y/n?" Bokuto asked unexpectedly. 

You looked in his direction, unaware of how close his face was to yours. You felt your cheeks flush red, and noticed his do the same. If you thought Kuroo's eyes were golden, they were nothing compared to Bokuto's. It felt as though time slowed down as you were caught staring into them. Suddenly, Kuroo pulled him back by the collar.

"Back it up," Kuroo seemed kind of annoyed as he created some space between the two of you.

You heard Kenma quietly say something to Kuroo, distracting him. You noticed as they fell behind from the rest of the group; but when your eyes met Kuroo's, you swiftly shot your gaze forward as though nothing happened. 

Akaashi appeared next to you, with Bokuto all of a sudden on the other side of him.

"So, what will you wish for?" Akaashi's voice was gentle. Part of you somewhat wished it was just the two of you so you could listen to him talk. The calming tones of his voice was soothing.

The two of them waited intently for your answer.

"Probably just good health for my family," You shyly looked down at your hands as they held onto your now empty cup. You were nervous being around Kuroo, but being around his friends as well, intensified that feeling, especially when they were as attractive as they were.

"Well I'm going to wish for certain victory at our next matches!" Bokuto excitedly exclaimed before calming down, "and you know, the same thing."

Kuroo finally caught up to the three of you before mentioning that Kenma left to meet up with someone else.

"What are you talking about?" He asked the group, but was only looking at you.

"What we are wishing for the New Year, what about you?" You were always entranced by Kuroo whenever he looked at you. His hazel eyes were almost golden, and they always seemed to captivate you whenever he stared back at you for too long.

You started to think you were a sucker for looking into someone eyes and almost falling in love with them.

"Ah," He said, finally looking away to think, "Good health, happiness, maybe love."

He made sure to look at you again when he said love. You felt yourself become flustered, quickly staring straight ahead. The thought of love could make you laugh, since you felt as though he was reading your mind. A thought lingered in the back of your mind that you also wanted to wish for the same thing, but was too shy to say it aloud. 

You climbed the steps towards the shrine, slightly ahead of the rest of the group. When you glanced behind you, each one looking up at you in a different, yet mesmerized, way.

Secretly, you hoped to spend more time in the new year with them.


	2. 02

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // 𝓷𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓮𝓶𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓲𝔂𝓪 - 𝓻𝓪𝓭𝔀𝓲𝓶𝓹𝓼

You felt the silky smooth omamori in the pocket of your sweater. You wrapped the thread around your finger and smiled. You weren't exactly sure what Bokuto was getting at when he gave you this specific talisman to you, but you were happy he did. He had slipped it into your pocket before you left, and told you he was lucky to have met you. When you finally decided to see what he secretly gave you, you noticed that he had given you a luck-boosting talisman.

You sighed.

You felt as though you were lucky to meet all of them the other night. Moving to Tokyo was something you were still accommodating to. You had only moved here a little over six months ago, and hadn't had much time to make friends. You were constantly busy with work, and when you arrived home each night, you were exhausted. You were grateful you had made a few acquaintances at work to have lunch with every now and again, but you typically walked around the city trying new places to eat. You felt as though there was something new to see every day.

Kuroo was probably the only one who made an effort to try and get to know you. And because of that, you felt a certain way about him. You could not deny how attracted you were to him, which made it harder for you to not feel differently. You saw him in a new light, being around him outside of work, and around his friends. He seemed a little more laid back, and not all about business. The way he teased Bokuto made you laugh through out the night, and part of you wished you could've only seen how they were in high school. 

Even when you were able to spend a little time alone with Kuroo, it was as though you were completely comfortable with him - like you had been through these motions before. You had come across a love talisman to show him, holding it up between you two. As he took it, his fingertips delicately brushed against yours, causing you to blush for what felt like the millionth time that night. 

As you thought of him, you heard your kettle click off. You poured the hot water into your cup and watched as the tea leaves as they infused. 

You suddenly felt as though you hit a brick wall. You had to stop thinking about Kuroo in the way that you want him. You worked together, and you didn't want to complicate things. As much as you wanted to relish in those moments with him, in the pit of your stomach, you knew it wasn't a good idea.

As much as you'd want to, you would have to control yourself around him.

You touched the talisman in your pocket again, this time pulling it out. You held it by the thread and let it dangle in front of your face. You admired the colorful, handmade silk.

Part of you wished Bokuto never gave you any kind of token of appreciation for your meeting. It was only going to make you admire him more. You were so easy to please, it was somewhat laughable.

You thought about Bokuto. With his over-the-top personality that kept everything going. A total contrast to you. But it was when he lost that energy momentarily, when you would look at each other or when you said goodbye. You kept feeling as though time stood still.

Then there was Akaashi. You still couldn't wrap your mind around how pretty he was. It was odd for you describe him in that way, but there were no other words you could think of. He was so different from Bokuto and Kuroo. He wasn't shy, but you could tell he kept to himself - almost like you did. Even though he only spoke a few words to you, his voice was soothing. He was a mystery that you wanted to know more about.

You sighed. The idea of having feelings for someone new was not surprising. You loved seeing the positives in people. You were attracted to them, and the unknown of what could happen with them excited you.

You took a long sip of your tea. You knew it was slim to none seeing either of them a second time, unless Kuroo invited you out again. Bokuto would probably be traveling for volleyball though, and you didn't have a clue as to what Akaashi did. At least you would still have Kuroo around, even if he was just someone you worked with. You just needed the courage to keep your composure around him.


	3. 03

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // 𝓫𝓲𝓽𝓮 - 𝓽𝓻𝓸𝔂𝓮 𝓼𝓲𝓿𝓪𝓷

You made your way towards the glass doors to head out on your lunch break. But you slowed down your pace a bit as you noticed Kuroo walking in. The way he held himself made him seem like a totally different person than the one you had just been with a few days ago. He was more distinguished, with the sharp cut of his dark suit, and the manner in which he sauntered in as if he owned the place. He was preoccupied with looking over some documents, only peering up from them quickly as to not accidently bump into anyone. However, he managed to catch a glimpse of you as you strolled by him.

He caught your wrist smoothly, turning you around to face him.

"Hi, how are you, Y/n?" He sounded innocent, a personality that didn't match his demeanor. You started to feel weak. The sound of your name on his lips always made you feel some type of way.

"I'm good," you smiled gently, trying to keep it somewhat professional despite that Kuroo still had his hand around your wrist, "and you?"

You kept the smile on your face the best that you could, and tried to make it seem as through his touch wasn't driving you mad.

"Busy. Where are you off to?" He finally released you, but it left you with a yearning feeling that you wanted him to hold onto you again. 

"I'm just taking my lunch break, probably just go up the street to grab a coffee and something to eat," you said as casually as possible.

A smile crept across his face, and your breath caught in your throat. You knew when he smiled like that, he would make a remark that would cause you turn red. He leaned in close to your ear. You could feel the heat of his breath on your neck.

"I wish I could join you," he whispered nonchalantly, before turning away. He glanced behind him slightly to look at you, still smiling, practically accomplished. He honestly enjoyed making you flustered, especially in a place where it wasn't exactly appropriate.

You took a deep breath and hurried out of the office. The cold air hit your face, cooling you down. You almost didn't notice that it was starting to lightly snow. 

You made your way down the street, still flustered from your encounter with Kuroo. It was a normal conversation, considering he enjoyed saying the littlest thing to make you blush. You couldn't help yourself around him. Every time he did or said anything remotely flirtatious, you were convinced he knew of your little crush. You just assumed he had the same idea; that you worked together, and you didn't want to complicate anything.

You pushed your face into your scarf to bundle yourself up more to avoid the harsh air. You shouldn't have decided to choose a place that was so far away from your office in this weather, but you have been craving their coffee ever since you tried it the week before. The butterflies in your stomach made it harder for you to want to eat, and you would much rather kill most of your time walking to and from.

You imagined what it would be like if Kuroo actually decided to join you on your break. What would you even talk about? Work? That would be the last thing that you'd want to talk to him about. 

As cliché as it sounds, you would want to know about his likes and dislikes. What he does when he's alone, and not consumed by work. What it was like growing up with the friends you met. You only caught a glimpse of it, but you felt you wanted more. You wanted more of Kuroo.

You shook those thoughts from your head, reminding yourself that you needed to be professional. 

But you were starting to realize how hard it was, especially if he was going to act the way he did. _And you liked it._

As you arrived at the cozy little café, you were suddenly embraced by warm notes of coffee roasting, and what sounded like vinyl playing throughout the room. It brought you to a place of comfort. Part of you wished you didn't have to return to work.

You placed your order at the counter and sat down in one of the seats at the window. You took a small sip from your coffee, and scrolled through your phone to pass what little time you had left. 

But soon you felt as though there was a shadow hovering over you. As though someone was watching you.

You gradually looked up, and saw someone standing on the other side of the window. He stood there, kind of in awe, staring back at you. A tall figure, dressed in neutral winter attire. A book bag in one hand, and a half eaten onigiri in the other. You watched as snowflakes got lost in his messy black hair. 

_Akaashi._


	4. 04

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // 𝓹𝓸𝓵𝓪𝓻𝓲𝓼 - 𝓪𝓲𝓶𝓮𝓻

You didn't even try to make any movement. You were still shocked that after spending most of your previous day thinking about how there was a rare chance of ever seeing him or Bokuto again, that he would be inches away, only separated by a sheet of glass.

Akaashi finally made the first move and made his way inside, over to where you were seated.

"Hi," He said. It was obvious he wasn't expecting to see you.

"Hi," You repeated back.

The silence between you two was a little unsettling and felt as though it lasted a little too long. You quickly glanced at your phone, noticing you didn't have much time left on your break. You probably only had enough time for your walk back.

 _Of course_ , you thought, _you have to leave the moment you see him again._

"I'm sorry, I can't really stay," you said regrettably, "I have to get back to the office."

"Let me walk you," Akaashi responded. It was quick, and you didn't want to deny him. This is what you hoped for without actually realizing it.

"Thank you," You said, nodding at him before heading out the door.

You walked in silence. The only noise that surrounded you was the bustle of the city and the sound of your boots tapping on the ground. Maybe it was easier with people like Bokuto and Kuroo around to get the conversation going. You were anxious to say something, but your nerves were getting the better of you. Your mind was completely blank.

"I'm surprised that we ran into each other," Akaashi eventually said, "I didn't think we'd meet again for awhile, to be honest."

The idea of Akaashi actually wanting to see you again, made you blush. You were lucky the chill from winter also caused your cheeks and nose to flush pink.

"I thought the same thing actually," You said quietly, a little embarrassed you even told him that you were thinking about him.

You peeked up at Akaashi from underneath your lashes, hoping he wouldn't notice. He stared straight ahead, the look on his face seemed serious and calm. He wasn't wearing his glasses this time, and you could see his blue eyes perfectly. You were still amazed at how flawless he looked.

"I'm sorry I don't have much to say right now," He let out a small laugh, "It's probably because I'm nervous."

He rubbed the back of his neck, trying not to look at you as he spoke. By how composed Akaashi seemed to be, you would have never guessed he was nervous this entire time.

You tried to laugh a little to ease the tension, "Why would you even be nervous?"

He hesitated a bit before answering you.

"I - I thought you were pretty when we met," You could start to see a light pink tint his cheeks, "And I wasn't expecting to have another chance to talk to you, even though I wanted to."

Your heart was pounding. Was this really happening to you right now? First Kuroo sending you into a frenzy, and now Akaashi. It was almost too much for you to handle.

You stopped suddenly, realizing you were in front of your building. You really didn't want to have to leave him, especially now.

"This is me," You said, "Thanks again for walking with me."

You weren't exactly sure how to respond to what he had just said. You felt like you were in a dream, and you definitely did not want to wake up from it. Akaashi thought you were pretty. You were convinced you manifested something - but you didn't know how to handle a situation like this.

Before you could turn away from him, Akaashi pulled out his phone and handed it to you.

"So we can see each other again."

You could now hear your heartbeat. You were getting what you wanted, even if it was just a little taste. _Akaashi_ wanted to see _you_ again.

You entered in your number, and carefully handed it back.

He smiled.

"I'll talk to you later."

You watched as he walked off, finally taking a breath. If you weren't in the middle of the sidewalk of a busy street where people could see you, you would literally jump around in excitement.

You rushed into the building and to your desk, trying to maintain your composure. You were going to find it hard to finish any of your work for the rest of the day.

\- - - -

When it was finally time to leave, you packed up your things and headed for the front door. It suddenly felt like deja vu seeing Kuroo standing in the lobby. But this time, he was leaning against the reception desk, glancing down at his phone. The light from his screen illuminated the features of his face.

He finally looked up from his phone once he heard your footsteps.

"There you are," You realized the person he was waiting was you.

You shot him a confused look, unsure of the sudden interest in waiting for you. You were used to Kuroo's passes during work, and seeing him the other night was already out of the ordinary. 

"You looked a little flustered when you came back today, you okay?" He didn't act like he was concerned, he was more entertained at the idea. You squinted your eyes at him.

It finally clicked. You didn't realize he saw you earlier, and you immediately turned red. How you wished your face didn't betray you every time you became embarrassed over something so little.

"I didn't do anything, did I?" He continued, holding the glass door open for you. You should've known that question was coming. He wasn't asking because he felt sorry, he was asking because he was hoping the answer was yes. As much as you wanted to stroke his ego, all you could do was let out a small laugh.

"No, sorry," You shook your head, smiling at him to minimize the blow you were about to send his way, "Akaashi was kind enough to walk me back today. It was nice."

You stood only a few feet away from each other. The wind nipping at parts of your exposed faces, and strands of your hair brushing to the side.

Kuroo wasn't shy about hiding his feelings. It was written all over his face. You could tell he wasn't expecting that answer, of all things.

"Akaashi? Really?" He rubbed his chin, "I guess I'll be joining you for lunch tomorrow."

You were already making your move to leave before you whipped your head around, "Are you - are you jealous?"

You found it amusing that Kuroo was actually jealous. He smirked, giving you your answer.

_"What if I am?"_


	5. 05

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // (𝓬𝓪𝓷 𝔀𝓮 𝓫𝓮 𝓯𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓷𝓭𝓼?) - 𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓪𝓷 𝓰𝓻𝓪𝔂

You rustled through your pocket, trying to find your keys to get into your apartment. As you pulled them out of your pocket, a small piece of paper floated to the ground. At first, you thought it was a small piece of trash you forgot to throw away, but you quickly noticed how it was folded neatly.

You picked it up, unfolding it to see a phone number written on it.

You stared at it, confused. When did this fall into your pocket?

You hadn't worn this jacket since your night out, and you hadn't checked the pockets except for when you took out the good luck charm Bokuto gave you. But you hadn't noticed this being there, despite it being the same pocket. You figured you could've missed it since it was such a small piece of paper.

As you entered your apartment, you typed the number into your messages and sent a 'hi it's y/n' to whoever left you their number. You were sure it had to be Bokuto by default. You had no reason to think otherwise. But it had been a few days, so what were the chances he was still in town.

You slipped out of your forest green midi skirt and your off-white turtleneck, leaving you in only your under garments and stockings. You release your hair from the tight ponytail, and gently started to brush through.

You then heard a chime from your cellphone. Your heart skipped a beat, excited as to who it could be from. You still hadn't heard from Akaashi, either.

You checked to see that the message was from the unknown number.

 **xxxxxxxxxxx**  
hey! i was starting to think you didn't want to talk to me

 **y/n**  
... and this is?

You felt like playing dumb for just a second, on the off chance that your gut feeling was wrong.

 **xxxxxxxxxxx**  
bokuto :(

You giggled as you threw yourself on your bed. The little sad face emoji was adorable to you, almost childish. You hoped you didn't totally offend him.

 **y/n**  
thought so :) what are u up to?

You rolled over onto your back and entered Bokuto into your phone. You pushed yourself off the bed and changed into an oversized t-shirt and pajama shorts.

You check your phone as another message comes in.

 **bokuto**  
just finished practice. you hungry?

You stood there, staring at yourself in the mirror. Was he asking if you wanted to get something? You responded with a 'yeah why' and immediately started to rummage through your drawers for something to wear. On the off chance he was asking, you wanted to be ready. 

You threw on some high waisted leggings and tied your shirt in a knot in the front, and a sweater cardigan over it so you didn't look too underdressed. You tied your hair back again, and touched up what little makeup you had on.

As you looked at yourself in the reflection, you wondered if it'd be all for nothing and that you got your hopes up. Deep down, you were hoping to see him again. 

**bokuto**  
wanna get food?

Your heartbeat picked up it's pace. You immediately responded yes and waited for a meeting spot.

Maybe your lucky talisman was working.

\- - - - 

His laughter was contagious, and you could feel your sides hurting from laughing so much. Bokuto was telling stories on his teammates, and all of the insane shenanigans they get into, while he walked you home. 

You met up with Bokuto at a local ramen shop conveniently not far from your apartment. The conversation was never dull, and it was almost exhausting keeping up with his energy. You couldn't believe how animated he was after spending hours before playing volleyball. You had to imagine that he would crash the moment he hit the pillow, because you knew you would after a night out with him.

But, you could honestly listen to him all night, rattle on about volleyball or complete nonsense. 

As you neared your apartment, you noticed that Bokuto's enthusiasm has died down a bit. You caught a glimpse of Bokuto out of the corner of your eye. He looked up at the night sky, admiring it. It had been the first night in a while that it wasn't cloudy. 

Suddenly, you felt a light touch on the back of your hand. Slowly, Bokuto intertwined his calloused fingers with yours. 

As usual, you could feel the heat rise to your cheeks. You turned your head slightly to not let Bokuto see. However, before you realized it, Bokuto slowed his pace down a bit, and pulled you back, turning you around to face him. You felt his other hand find your hip. He brought his lips inches away from yours. His eyes, only slightly open, explored the features of your face before fixating on your eyes.

You knew if he kissed you, it would be the end for you. When you fell, you fell hard, and it wasn't something you were proud of. You wanted to keep Bokuto around as long as you could, you didn't want to ruin it with stronger feelings than you already had. Even though, your desire for him was intensifying. Each thought fought in your mind as to what you really wanted. You knew your want for him would end up winning.

"I had fun tonight," He whispered, before delicately placing his lips on yours. You could feel your body tense slightly, before completely letting go.

The kiss lingered, but never deepened. It was almost restrained, like he didn't want to ruin the moment. As he broke the kiss, a sigh slipped out from between Bokuto's lips, as though releasing the anticipation he felt before he made his move.

"Good night, Y/n," Bokuto said, his hand lingering in yours before ultimately letting you go.

"Good night, Bokuto."


	6. 06

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // 𝓳𝓮𝓪𝓵𝓸𝓾𝓼 - 𝓮𝔂𝓮𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓼

You admired Kuroo as you sat across from each other. The way his jaw tensed up as he bit on the end of one of the toothpicks. He has a serious look on his face as he scrolled through his phone, probably because of something work-related. His eyes hardened as he focused on the screen.

"I appreciate you having lunch with me," You began, slowly sipping on your water, "But we could at least have a conversation."

Kuroo had barely said a word to you on the short walk to the sushi spot. He had been more engrossed in his work, and only spoke when he placed his order.

His gaze shifted to you, and his eye widened slightly, as though he was shocked you called him out. Typically when you spoke to Kuroo, it was very few words and in a timid manner. However, you had a sudden new confidence ever since yesterday with everything that had happened. You weren't sure if it was from the attention, or if somewhere deep down, you wanted to see what Kuroo's intentions were.

You wondered what would happen if you mentioned you saw Bokuto the night before. Part of you wanted to make him jealous, but the other part of you didn't feel it necessary to bring it up.

He finally placed his phone face down on the table. You were a little surprised at how easy that was.

"I'm sorry," He smiled, leaning his chin on the palm of his hand, "What do you want to talk about?"

Your eyes widened. You assumed if you called him out, he would start the conversation; not you having to think of something on the spot. The only thing on your mind that the moment was Bokuto and the kiss. The words were falling out of your mouth faster than you could think to stop yourself from saying them.

"I saw Bokuto last night," You avoided eye contact, your eyes focused only on your glass of water and drinking it so you wouldn't say anything more.

"Oh?" His face perked up, "Akaashi and Bokuto must've taken a liking to you."

Kuroo clearly hadn't forgotten about Akaashi. You pinched your leg. Do not tell him that Akaashi texted you...

"I'm actually seeing Akaashi this weekend." You could bang your head on the table out of frustration, if it wasn't going to make you look crazy. 

Everything was coming out of your mouth like word vomit, and you couldn't stop yourself. But it was Kuroo's reactions that kept you going. He kept calm, but every time you mentioned either of their names, he would twitch slightly out of annoyance.

"Lucky him." Kuroo wasn't mad though. Just by looking at him, you could tell he envied the both of them for making the move he had been to scared to make. His eyes narrowed, and a smirk slowly appeared on his face.

"You know, I saw you first. I should've told them you were off limits." 

He spoke as though he was thinking out loud. 

"What do you mean?" You asked shyly. You weren't sure if he meant what he was saying, or if it was out of spite.

"It's too late now," He sounded like he completely disregarded your question, "I'm just going to have to try to take you away from them."

That remark was all it took to make you come undone. You choked on your water, and quickly slapped your hand in front of your mouth.

"Kuroo," You hissed, "What are you saying?"

His hazel eyes darkened, and you felt your heart race and your body become hot. The intensity in which Kuroo stared at you made you rub your thighs together. He could tell by the way you bit your lip that you enjoyed what he was telling you. 

Everything you had been doing to keep up your professional relationship was about to be thrown out the window. There was no way you would be able to ignore him at this point. Every part of you wanted him, and he knew it.

"You'll find out soon enough."

As you left the restaurant, everything seemed to be back to normal, as if the conversation you just had didn't happen. However, as you approached the crosswalk, Kuroo took hold of your hand and rushed you across the street. If Kuroo didn't have a tight grip on you, you wouldn't have been able to keep up with his pace.

Your office building finally came into sight, but you were whisked to the side, down an empty alleyway.

You found yourself pinned against the wall, Kuroo towering over you. His forearm leaned against the brick wall above your head, allowing his jacket to cover you from any onlookers. His thumb came up to meet your bottom lip - slowly tugging it down before tracing it to the corner of your mouth, holding your chin up to meet his gaze. 

He was inches away from your face, teasing you. If he tilted your chin slightly, your mouth would be on his. He remained unfixed though. He enjoyed the game he was playing with you. You were responding to him just the way he wanted. Your face was flushed, and your eyes must have looked like they were pleading for you to kiss him. Because that's what you wanted. You could feel it throughout your body how badly you wanted Kuroo in that moment.

"I'm going to make you mine," He whispered against your lips. Your breath hitched and the heat between your thighs was overwhelming.

He pushed himself off the wall, brushing the sleeve of his jacket. His expression was unfazed. While you stood there, using the wall for balance. Kuroo literally made you weak with a simple touch and a few words. 

He shoved his hands in his pockets, and looked down at you, pleased with himself.

"Let's go." 

It sounded demanding, and you followed without any hesitation.


	7. 07

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // 𝓰𝓸𝓵𝓭𝓮𝓷 - 𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓻𝔂 𝓼𝓽𝔂𝓵𝓮𝓼

Kuroo stayed on your mind. You didn't find a point you weren't thinking about him. It felt like your entire day was consumed with thoughts of him. What was worse, your need for him to touch you again grew the more you replayed that moment in the alley.

He wasn't able to join you for lunch the rest of the week, and he seemed frustrated when he couldn't. You knew he wanted to make sure you didn't have another run in with Akaashi. You giggled at the thought.

You didn't have another interaction with Kuroo like the one for the other day, though. Secretly, you hoped he'd make time throughout the week to try and join you for lunch, or go out for coffee, or even, by chance, walk you home. You imagined all the scenarios of it happening again, and maybe more.

When Friday rolled around, he wasn't able to join you again. This time, though, he looked especially agitated.

"Why don't you just have lunch here?" He asked, tapping his pen on his desk.

You laughed, "Because I don't want to."

"Tomorrow's your date, correct?" This wasn't about not being able to get lunch with you. It had been eating away at him all week that you would be seeing Akaashi this weekend.

You nodded. If he told you he didn't want you to, you just might've listened.

But he didn't.

"Well, have fun," He immediately looked at his computer screen, distracting himself.

Part of you was disappointed that Kuroo didn't make more of an effort to take you away from him, like he said. Then again, you were a little shocked you even wanted that to happen.

\- - - -

Akaashi met you for lunch in the middle of the city. He seemed a little distant as you talked. He was constantly getting distracted, and his responses were barely full sentences. It seemed a little out of character, but you weren't trying to hold it against him.

You timidly reached out to touch the sleeve of his jacket, unsure of even what to say. Akaashi looked down at your hand, and then up at your face.

"Are you okay?" You were hoping you were just imagining things. You had been looking forward all week to this date, something to take your mind off of Kuroo, but it didn't seem to be working. If anything, you wished you were him than Akaashi right now.

"Yeah ... Yeah, I'm fine. Bokuto actually has a game soon," He mentioned while checking his watch, "Would you want to go?"

You nodded.

Once you arrived, Akaashi kept checking his surroundings. Something was seriously off, and you could not figure it out. But you couldn't bring yourself to pry any further.

Then out of no where, you heard a girl's voice call out to Akaashi. Both of you turned in the direction of the voice, seeing two girls jog to catch up. The taller one of the two, flung her arms around around Akaashi's neck happily.

You weren't sure how to react. The date had been off from the beginning, and now the interaction you were witnessing felt normal. As she backed away from what seemed like an absurdly long and personal embrace, you were able to get a better look at her.

She was model-like, long-legged and flawless. Her grey-blue eyes sparkled as she hugged Akaashi. You could see faint freckles scattered across her cheekbones. 

She took her attention off of Akaashi to introduce herself and her friend, "Hi, I'm Kaori, and this is Yukie."

The dark-red haired girl gave you a smile, nodding as you introduced yourself.

But you noticed a change in Akaashi all of a sudden. He seemed calmer, relieved almost.

They decided to join you and Akaashi as you entered the stadium, finding a place to sit.

You sat on the other side of him, feeling like a third wheel on your own date - if you could even call it that anymore. You were unsure what to do, so you kept your focus on the game - and more specifically, Bokuto. Every now and then, he would look in your direction and shoot you some kind of acknowledgement. It honestly made your date with Akaashi a little easier.

When the game finished up, you and Akaashi made your way down to the court, along with the other girls.

"Hey hey! You guys made it!" Bokuto made his rounds, hugging each of you.

"It's good to see you," Bokuto said, lingering by you longer than the others. He noticed your eyes wandering towards Akaashi, "Ah, they dated."

He said it so matter-of-fact. By the way she was laughing, and touching his arm. By the way he couldn't stop staring at her. You weren't surprised. They looked good together. To you, it just made sense.

You looked up at Bokuto, and smiled softly.

You didn't want to pay any mind to Akaashi. He was clearly busy catching up, and you had Bokuto in front of you more than willing to give you attention.

Bokuto wasn't oblivious to the situation in front of him. He knew you came to his game with Akaashi, and Akaashi was clearly preoccupied. 

"Let me take her home," Bokuto suddenly said to Akaashi.

Akaashi's eyes widened, aware of how he had been acting.

"Are you sure?" Askaashi asked as Bokuto nodded.

Akaashi half-heartedly agreed to the arrangement. You thought you would be more upset, by how Akaashi's attention was on his ex. However, you were completely fine. You were surprisingly unbothered.

Bokuto walked beside you with his hands in his pockets, staring up at the sky as the sun was setting. The amber and violet hues brushed across the sky. You stole a glance at Bokuto who seemed to be admiring it, his face aglow with color.

"So," He started, "Are you dating Akaashi?"

You weren't sure how to answer at first. Would he be like Kuroo and instantly get jealous? You wanted to avoid that - you didn't need to deal with two Kuroos.

"I wouldn't really say that," You realized you weren't even sure you liked Akaashi, you just knew he was attractive and wanted to date him, "We just hung out, that's all."

"Oh, okay good. He knew she was going to be at the game today, it probably made him crazy all day." Bokuto said, disregarding how what he said might make you feel. 

"Oh." Everything started to make sense in your head. 

"Yeah," Bokuto appeared antsy, as though he wanted to tell you something, "I'm going to be away for a couple of weeks because of volleyball, but I was hoping to see you once I was back."

You reach out, your fingers entwining with his playfully until he finally took hold. This is how you wanted to feel. All day, it felt as though you were trapped outside of a bubble, while Akaashi enjoyed himself with another girl. You didn't think Akaashi did it intentionally, but you knew you should have been treated better. And Bokuto was the one making you feel appreciated instead. 

_"I'd like that."_


	8. 08

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // 𝓫𝓪𝓭 𝓲𝓭𝓮𝓪 - 𝓰𝓲𝓻𝓵 𝓲𝓷 𝓻𝓮𝓭

"How was it?" Kuroo asked, leaning against your desk.

"How was what?" You typed away on your keyboard, trying your best to ignore Kuroo prying into your personal life. 

"Don't play dumb. With Akaashi." He seemed a little annoyed that you were suddenly hush about it.

"It was fine." You didn't elaborate anymore. Kuroo's brows furrowed.

"Fine?" Kuroo wasn't satisfied with that answer, "Did anything happen?"

He wasn't exactly quiet with the question. You shot him a dirty look, insinuating for him to lower his voice so other people in the office wouldn't try to listen. Hoping it was just your imagination, you already felt as though eyes were on you with Kuroo looming over you. You worked in different departments, on different floors - and it wasn't an every day occurrence that Kuroo paid you a visit.

" _Kuroo_ ," You harshly whispered, "Shut up, _please_."

His playful smile quickly turned into a frown. He left your side abruptly, not pushing you for anymore information.

The moment he was out of sight, you took a sigh of relief. You didn't need to tell Kuroo anything. You liked when he was jealous, but you didn't want to tell him that it didn't go exactly how you were hoping.

Suddenly, your phone buzzed in your pocket. No surprise, Kuroo was texting you. You knew it wasn't like him to just stop bothering you without getting an answer he wanted. He probably thought it was easier for you to come to him, where no one would be able to see you.

You quickly scanned the screen to see a message from Kuroo telling you to come to his office. You locked your phone without responding. You debated whether or not to actually go, but you were curious.

You pushed away from your desk, fixing your pencil skirt as you stood up. You made your way to the stairs, aware you were for in for something. Knowing Kuroo, either he was going to keep asking questions about your date, or he was going to toy with you. You were hoping for the ladder in you were honest with yourself.

As you closed in on his office, a sense of apprehension washed over you. The aura you felt as you walked into the small room was heavy, like you shouldn't be there.

"Shut the door." He said without looking up from the screen. 

You stood in front of the closed door, waiting to hear his next command. You knew you weren't there for anything work related. Kuroo wanted something, and you couldn't figure it out.

He leaned back in his chair, elbows rested, hands intertwined across his stomach.

"Come here." His finger curled, motioning you towards him.

You felt like a helpless puppy, obeying every order. As you stepped closer to the side of his desk, he turned his chair to face you. 

"You know," He pushed himself off his chair, and leaned on the corner of his desk so he could be eye level with you, "You're free to do whatever you want, with whoever you want."

"I don't need you to tell me that," Your heart raced, just like it always did when you were alone with him. But by the look on his face, you seemed to be correct about there being a hidden intention for calling you up here.

"I know," He straightened himself up, and took one step closer to you. You were only centimeters a part. His arm snaked behind you, causing you to take a deep breath, "That doesn't mean I have to like it." 

His words lingered over your lips before he pressed his against them. His tongue flicked against yours, and a soft moan betrayed you as it passed your lips. His hands rested on the small of your back, and you couldn't bring yourself to pull away. 

His hands started to glide against your body, feeling you. Your grip tightened against his sleeve. This is what you had been craving. Ever since that day in the alley, you've been wanting Kuroo to touch you this way. 

You felt his lips curl slowly into a smile, as you bit your bottom lip. Kuroo's arms gently released you from his hold.

"Let me take you out this weekend," He said, tapping on the desk with his knuckle. He seemed shy when he offered. You had assumed Kuroo had been on plenty of dates before you, so his behavior seemed a little odd. But maybe your idea of him was wrong.

"O-ok," you hesitated. 

Kuroo laughed, his confidence seeming to be back to normal, "I can't let them have all the fun."

You halted in the doorway, turning around on your tiptoes. You glared at him out of annoyance. 

"I wish you'd want to take me out because you want to, not to one up the others," You replied as you walked out the door, not waiting to hear one of Kuroo's s rebuttal.


	9. 09

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓴𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓲𝓽 - 𝓬𝓸𝓵𝓸𝓷𝔂 𝓱𝓸𝓾𝓼𝓮

"Y/n, upstairs is apparently short staffed today," Your supervisor said sarcastically, "You were requested to make this phone call to follow up on a promotional video."

She dropped the caller information and walked away without elaborating, muttering words under her breath as though she was irritated. Oddly enough, you noticed that everything you needed to say for the phone call was written down. You hesitantly dialed the number, and waited while it rang. The ringing finally came to a halt and you heard a faint hello.

"Hi Kozume-san, this is Y/n from the Japan Volleyball Association, and I was just wanted to call about setting up a time for the collaboration video with the MSBY Black Jackals." You read the scripted note back to the person.

You waited for an answer. The other side had been quiet for quite some time before you heard someone sigh on the other end.

"Kuroo just messaged me about it this morning, and now he's having one of his assistants follow up? Can you tell him to stop bothering me with this? Unlike him, I don't have an assistant to do all my work for me."

He sounded aggravated on the other line, and you sensed a wave of embarrassment come crashing over you. Kuroo was having you call him, and by the sound of it, it was all just a game to him. You pressed your forehead into your hand, you should've known that everything seemed a little questionable when your supervisor mentioned _upstairs._

__

__

"I'm not his assistant," was all you could muster out.

"You sound like one." There was a brief paused before he continued, "Tell him that Kenma said he already got his answer, so stop bothering him."

"Oh, Kenma?" You said, surprised you didn't pick up on the sound of his voice, "I met you, New Years, you came with Kuroo and everyone."

"Oh," Kenma said, "Of course." There was some grumbling on the other line.

"You know," Kenma started to speak again, "He's probably just making you call me because it's fun for him."

"Why would you say that?" You were confused why Kenma seemed sure that was Kuroo's reasoning.

"When he has a crush, he likes to do anything and everything to involve himself in their life."

\- - - -

Your phone call with Kenma went a little longer than expected. You knew Kuroo was interested in you, but the way Kenma said _crush_ , it felt different. Innocent-like, which was contradictory to how you would ever describe Kuroo.

This, in turn, caused you to leave work later since you were behind on work; and now, you were rushing to get home to be ready for your date with Kuroo.

You fumbled with your keys trying to unlock your door, throwing your bag and shoes in the entryway. There was barely anytime to clean up the trail of a mess you were creating.

As you struggled to change out of your clothes, tossing them every which way as you hurried to your bedroom, you managed to glance at the clock. You had barely any time before he would arrive.

You rushed into the bathroom, starting the shower and hopping in. The ice cold water hit your body, and you let out a small whimper. You didn't have the time to wait for it to heat up. Warm scents of vanilla filled the room as the steam eventually began to rise. You lathered your body, trying to take a deep breath before you needed to go back to frantically getting ready.

The knobs screeched as you turned them. The moment you left the bathroom, it was going to be a race to see how quickly you could get ready before Kuroo would be at your door.

You tugged your elastic from your hair, and brushed it out with your fingers. You applied your eyeliner in two swift strokes, thankful you didn't have to fix them, and quickly brushed on some mascara. Shuffling through your closet, you eventually pulled a little black dress. One that hugged your body in velvet, crisscrossing your chest and back, and just barely off your shoulders. 

At last you were able to turn around and look at yourself in the mirror; you watched as your chest inhaled and exhaled, finally able to breathe. Your hands glided down your sides, admiring yourself. Your hair fell naturally, curling at the ends. 

You were grateful that with little time you had to prepare yourself, you were able to pull yourself together. You bit your lip happily, hoping Kuroo would appreciate how you looked tonight. 

You recognized that with Kuroo, you put a little more effort in than with the others. But you felt yourself wanting to do that for him.

Your thought was interrupted by a pound on the door. You hooked your heels onto your fingertips, and leaped over to the entry. You tried multi-tasking, by opening the door and sliding your heels on. You managed to look up from your awkward angle to see Kuroo leaning against the doorframe. He looked amused by you bent over, trying to keep balance.

"Did I rush you?" He let out a small chuckle.

You finally straightened yourself up, flipping your hair back. His laugh ceased, and he stood upright, clearing his throat. You couldn't help yourself but smirk slightly. Your eyes lingered on his; you could see him eyeing you, taking in every inch of your body. You saw the muscles in his neck shift as he swallowed. You ravished in the way you could tell he was nervous just by looking at you.

You reached for your jacket behind the door. You were conscious of the sudden sense of confidence.

"Of course not."


	10. 10

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // 𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓼 - 𝓽𝓪𝔂𝓵𝓸𝓻 𝓼𝔀𝓲𝓯𝓽

Kuroo held open the car door, gesturing for you to climb inside. It seemed a little pretentious to rent a car for a date, not to mention, one with a driver. Kuroo climbed in next to you, leaning over to whisper in your ear.

"You look really good tonight." His words sent a chill down your spine.

You peeked at him out of the corner of your eye, and smiled.

"Took you long enough," You teased back. 

Your heart was pounding; any other day, you would be too nervous to say anything but a thank you. Adrenaline was coursing through you. You were finally on a date with Kuroo despite your internal protests. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea, dating someone from work, especially if it was Kuroo of all people.

His hand found your knee, and he gave it a small squeeze. The feeling of his touch instantly made you tense up out of anticipation. You needed to distract yourself, at least try and have a conversation to calm your nerves.

"You weren't funny today, I hope you know," You crossed your arms across your chest, peering out the car window out at the moving city lights.

He had no intention on removing his hand from your leg. Instead, it slid ever so slightly up your thigh, and he gave you another light squeeze, causing the muscle in your leg to tighten.

"Hm?" Kuroo seemed amused, "You liked that?"

You weren't sure if he was talking about the phone call with Kenma, or his grip on your thigh. The answer was still stuck in your throat. You rolled your eyes in response.

"I figured I'd mess with Kenma a little, " He chuckled, "and you."

His grip loosened, but his hand remained on you. He traced his thumb back and forth on the outside of your thigh. You instinctively placed your hand on his. Yours looked tiny in comparison, it almost amazed you. Your fingers delicately found their way in-between his, and clasped on. 

It took every bit of confidence to just hold onto his hand, that you couldn't bare to look him in the eye. You felt his fingers slowly wrap around yours. There was a shift in his body, and his other arm reached across. He tilted your chin slightly to meet his gaze. His face was painfully close to yours. The tension between you two was unbearable. His eyes became distant, glancing behind you.

"We're here."

 _Where was your confidence now?_ You couldn't stand him teasing you like he was anymore. You only had seconds before your chance to take what you wanted would slip away.

Before he could completely pull back, you had his tie entwined around your fingers, tugging him in. Your lips crashed into his, as you took control, letting your tongue find his. Kuroo bit your bottom lip before slowly backing away.

Without saying a word, he slid himself out of the car. You sit up straight, eyes wide, regretting what you just did. Was it too much? You thought he enjoyed it as much as you did; but he turned away to get out of the car so quickly, you weren't entirely sure anymore.

As you reach for the handle, the car door suddenly flings open, with Kuroo holding out his hand for you to take. You gently grasp it, avoiding eye contact. You could feel yourself crawl back into your shell. The date had barely started and you already wanted it be over all because of one stupid move you made.

Kuroo tilted your chin once again, this time lightly kissing your lips. There wasn't any teasing, no needy feeling inside you. You were content with this.

He led through the doors and brought you over to a secluded area of the dimly lit restaurant. 

You carefully sat down in your seat. Your body felt stiff, you felt out of place. The restaurant was incredibly fancy; you didn't realize that when Kuroo told you to dress nice, that he would take you to one of the nicest restaurants in Tokyo.

"This is a really fancy place," you said timidly.

"You think?" Kuroo sounded surprised, "I was hoping you'd like it."

You were still glossing over the room, staring at the crystalized lighting and modern décor. You eyes glanced at the menu and saw no prices, which could only mean it was going to be expensive. You felt your stomach drop. This wasn't something you were used to.

"Too fancy," you whispered, but obviously not quietly enough. You snapped out of your awe-stricken daze when you noticed that Kuroo was staring at you.

"Too fancy?" He repeated in confusion.

Your cheeks felt hot as you hid your face behind your menu. You couldn't believe you said that out loud. You didn't want Kuroo to think you didn't appreciate the place he picked. You held up your hands in defense.

"No, no ... well, yes. I've just never been to somewhere like this." You kept your eyes on the menu, trying to figure out what to even order.

"Did you want to go somewhere else?" Kuroo sounded sincere, but you weren't sure if you hurt his feelings.

"No," You said hesitantly, "It's nice that you brought me here."

You cringed at your last words. You knew they didn't sound genuine enough.

If you were being honest, you would've been happy with anywhere. Kuroo didn't need to impress you. You liked Kuroo for who he was, despite his jealous tendencies - no matter how fun it was for you to rile him up.

You noticed he was fidgeting in his seat. Something seemed to be bothering him. His leg bounced next to yours, and he ran his fingers through his hair. 

"Let's go." Kuroo demanded, holding out his hand. You stared up at him, slowly placing your hand in his. You couldn't tell by his expression if he was mad or upset with you. 

He pulled you towards to the front door, apologizing for the sudden leave.

You made your way down the busy sidewalk hand-in-hand. You were sure he observed your uneasiness in a place like that. He obviously wasn't convinced that you were happy he took you out. He had a serious look on his face, and you just hoped he wasn't upset with you. You wracked you brain for something that could help ease the direction this date was going.

As you walked with the bustle of people, you abruptly stopped at a beach entrance. The dunes of sand seemed untouched, and the tide was out far enough to walk along the coastline. You tugged at Kuroo's coat sleeve, and silently led him onto the small beach.

"What are you doing? Aren't you hungry?" Kuroo seemed to protest as he created some resistance.

You kicked off your heels as your feet touched the sand. Since he wasn't going to willingly walk with you, you let go of him. You leaped towards the edge of the water, settling your bare feet in the cushion of sand. The chill of the salty waves brushing against your ankles. 

You let out a long breath, a cloud of vapor falling from your lips. You needed him to know that you wanted to be here with him.

"Y/n," you heard Kuroo from behind you. His voice was faint, and pleading.

You turned your head towards him, while tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. Kuroo stood a few feet away, hands shoved in his pockets, and his shoulders scrunched due to the cold.

You closed the gap between you two and wrapped your arms around his waist, laying your head against his chest. He clasped his arms to hold you there.

"Are you nervous around me like I am with you?" You asked.

You could feel Kuroo let out a heavy sigh. 

"I am." He said to your surprise. You had hoped for that answer, but you expected him to tell you otherwise.

You rested your chin on his chest to look up at him. His golden eyes seeming to illuminate in the dark, you couldn't help but smile.

"I don't want this to end."

Kuroo's hold on you tightened, and you felt one of his hands press your head closer to his chest. He leaned down, and placed a kiss on the top of your head. 

_"Neither do I."_


	11. 11

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓷𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽 𝔀𝓮 𝓶𝓮𝓽 - 𝓵𝓸𝓻𝓭 𝓱𝓾𝓻𝓸𝓷

Rain had washed away most of what was left of the snow, and the air felt unusually warm for February. The winter sun was bright, and the sky clear, allowing you to enjoy the outdoors on your break for once.

You were seated on a bench in the middle of a park, reading a book, waiting on Kuroo to bring you a coffee. You had barely seen him since your date since he had been consumed with work. Today was no different. However, when you made an effort to ask him if he wanted to join you, he surprised you by saying yes.

As you carefully read each word, an all too familiar feeling came over you, of someone lingering closely by. You marked the page in your book and looked up to see Akaashi once again. Time felt to have slowed as you stared at each other in silence. You hadn't seen or heard from him since your failure of a date.

"Oh, hi," Akaashi said, hesitantly, wondering whether or not to approach you.

"Hi, Akaashi," you smiled sweetly, allowing him to come closer. You wanted to tell him he didn't _need_ to talk to you; you could've acknowledged each other and went on with your day.

"How are you?" He said as he looked down at you. 

"I'm good," You gathered up your things and stood up to face him, "You?"

"I'm fine." The conversation between you two was unbearably dry. You almost wished you didn't look up from your book.

"I've been wanting to apologize, and if you don't hate me, possibly take you out again," He said as if it was a question. Akaashi made no effort to reach out since that day, so was this just because he felt he had to confront the problem?

"You could've just sent a text apologizing, it probably would've been easier." You ignored the second part of what he said. You motioned to turn away, but he clasped onto your wrist before you could pull away entirely. 

"Akaashi," You said, regretfully. Maybe if things weren't going the way you wanted with Kuroo, and if Bokuto didn't redeem Akaashi from that date, you might have caved. But as you looked into Akaashi's eyes, you didn't feel anything. Not romantically, at least.

"I can't." You yanked your arm away from Akaashi, glancing behind you in the process. You noticed the raven haired bed head in the distance, it was hard not to pick him out of a crowd. You only had seconds before Kuroo would standing next to you.

"Y/n," Akaashi started, "I really want to - "

"Akaashi, I really can't," You quickly tried to cut him off, checking behind you to see that Kuroo had become aware of who was in front of you, it was written all over his face.

Akaashi peered over you, his eyes catching who you were looking at. His face hardened, before looking back at you. He let out a small laugh.

"I should've known," Akaashi muttered. You weren't sure how to respond.

His hand cupped your cheek, his thumb lightly brushing your cheek. You froze. You knew Kuroo saw this, and you knew he wouldn't perceive it as a harmless act.

"Have fun," Akaashi had a small smirk, before turning away in the opposite direction to avoid confrontation with Kuroo.

You exhaled, your mind racing to try and think of something to say.

Kuroo was finally by your side, before handing you a hot cup. Your gaze slowly moved from Akaashi to the cup, and you noticed there was a small heart drawn on it. You touched it with the tip of your finger, your lips impulsively pulling into a smile.

"Cute." Kuroo didn't react to your remark. His eyes were more focused on Akaashi walked away.

"Akaashi?" He said, changing the subject. You were hoping if you acted as if it was no big deal, Kuroo would see it that way.

"He actually tried asking me out again," You tried to laugh, not wanting Kuroo to think into it. You began walking together towards the office, "I said -"

Kuroo huffed, "Convenient."

You squint your eyes, confused, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Bokuto just told me that Akaashi got his heart broken again by that girl, I was surprised because I thought you were also dating him," Kuroo shrugged.

Considering you never told Kuroo what happened with Akaashi, you understood why he thought you might still be seeing him. At the same time, this made you think about where you stood with Kuroo if he thought you were still dating other people. 

"Are you ... seeing other people?" The thought slipped out as you pushed through the doors of the office building. Kuroo was handed a folder as he passed the front desk. 

There was a short pause, Kuroo seemingly distracted by the contents of whatever was in his folder. He hummed, before glancing up at you. 

"Wouldn't you like to know."

You watched as he walked ahead of you, not turning around or stopping for you to catch up. You knew he took your encounter with Akaashi the wrong way.

A heavy sigh left your chest. If you responded to him, you knew you would say the wrong thing and let your emotions get the better of you. Deciding to let you both forget about Akaashi was for the best, at least you thought.


	12. 12

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // 𝓪𝓵𝓶𝓸𝓼𝓽 (𝓼𝔀𝓮𝓮𝓽 𝓶𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓬) - 𝓱𝓸𝔃𝓲𝓮𝓻

**_wanna meet of lunch tomorrow?_ **

You hadn't answered the message. For one, things hadn't gone as smoothly as you had liked with Kuroo since you saw Akaashi. Every time you tried to talk about it, or even try and have a pointless conversation, he would find an excuse to leave. You felt as though you were chasing after him. You didn't want to complicate things by bringing Bokuto back into the picture.

But since you had cut it off with Akaashi, it was time to do the same with Bokuto. Except with him, you were hoping you could keep your friendship.

Maybe if you could honestly tell Kuroo that he was the only person you were seeing, he would take your relationship more seriously. At least, you hoped.

There wasn't any harm in meeting up with Bokuto.

_Right?_

"Bokuto," You began. You sat across from him in a small take-out restaurant, as you both waited for your order to be called out. There were people coming and going, causing all sorts of commotion. Bokuto seemed distracted.

"Bokuto." You repeated more sternly. 

"Yeah?" His round eyes peered up at you as he took a sip from his soft drink.

"Uh I don't know how to say this." It felt like a break up. 

"Me and Kuroo ... we've been ... I think we," trying to formulate a sentence as to what you and Kuroo were was more difficult than you thought, "I want to see him, only him." 

It was like ripping off a band aid, speaking it out into existence. It was like a weight was lifted off your shoulders as you admitted it.

Bokuto laughed, "He mentioned you two went out. I wanted to back off, but you can make your own decisions, and I won't lie, I kind of hoped I still had a chance." He ended his statement with a wink.

He didn't seem completely hurt, though. He was expecting this to happen. You took a sigh of relief. You were grateful that Bokuto was easy going when it came to you.

"Look, we barely see each other, and I like being with you. But it's been obvious since New Years that you feel something for each other." He sounded mature with his answer, it almost made you laugh.

"But that doesn't mean I'm not going to make fun of Kuroo," He said, jokingly.

You nudged him as your order was called.

"We can still be friends, right?" You gave your best puppy dog eyes. You didn't want Bokuto to be completely removed from your life.

"Of course!" Bokuto threw his arm around you, squeezing tight as you exited the restaurant.

The two of you only made it around the block before bumping into the person you least except to see. Tongue-tied, you gaped at Kuroo. 

"Hey," Kuroo had a sly smirk spread across his face, and in the pit of his stomach you knew this wasn't going to be good. 

"Hey, Kuroo!" Bokuto seemed clueless. 

"I didn't know you were taking Y/n out today," His tone was sarcastic. You shot daggers into him with your eyes. _Not now, please._

"Yeah, I've been trying to plan something with her ever since I saw her with Akaashi at my game a few weeks ago." You were hoping that Bokuto would elaborate a little more, and tell Kuroo that it wasn't exactly a _date_.

But his response touched a nerve with Kuroo.

"Oh, so all three of us seem to be dating Y/n."

You buried your face in your hands. _Why was Kuroo doing this?_ It was completely unnecessary. Obviously he was jealous, but he didn't need to try and start a problem. And your frustration was building with Bokuto, who seemed to be reveling in the way Kuroo was overreacting.

"Oh yeah?" Bokuto had a huge smile plastered on his face, "Bet you haven't even done anything with her?"

Kuroo sarcastically laughed at Bokuto's assumption. You felt as though you were going to be sick. You hated how they acted like they were in high school, trying to one up each other - it was juvenile.

"Well, while you're texting her and taking her out on these little dates, I'm seeing her every day, taking her into my office, and -"

Your body moved before you could finish your next thought. You pushed yourself into Kuroo, catching him off guard - thankfully, stopping him from finishing the rest of his sentence.

"Enough, the both of you," You scolded, looking back and forth between them, "Stop talking like I'm not even here. And stop acting like I'm a competition!"

Kuroo and Bokuto's jaw was slightly dropped, shocked at how loud you were in such a crowded place. There were a few people gawking at you, but you were too infuriated to look at any of them. 

You turned to walk away, picking up your pace a little to get away from both Bokuto and Kuroo. You had snapped, and embarrassed yourself in front of too many people. You could feel yourself shaking from humiliation.

Bokuto caught up to you first, clutching your wrist to turn you around. His eye widened. You knew how you looked to him. Your eyes were glossy from holding back tears, biting your bottom lip to stop yourself from letting any escape.

You could see Kuroo behind him, keeping his distance. You could tell he knew he was the one to blame for all this.

You expected better of them, especially Bokuto.

But more importantly, you wished Kuroo would've listened to you before today. Then maybe he would've thought of this as another harmless interaction.

"Bokuto, I'm just going to go home. Thanks for today." You struggled to give a genuine smile. You could feel tears well up in your eyes, and Bokuto noticed immediately.

"Y/n, don't leave like this," The apprehensive look on his face almost made you stay out of pity, "Look, we were acting stupid and got a little carried away."

He realized that it wasn't a good excuse, his voice trailing away at the end. 

You quickly wiped away one of the tears before they fell, forcing the smile even harder. You could see Kuroo start to approach out of concern. He wanted to be the one to comfort you, not Bokuto.

You raised your hands in front of you and back away, "I'm fine. Good night."

You got out of there as fast as you could, trying to make sure you didn't make more of a spectacle of yourself.


	13. 13

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // 𝓼𝓸𝓶𝓮𝓫𝓸𝓭𝔂 𝓮𝓵𝓼𝓮 𝓪𝓽𝓵 𝓮𝓭𝓲𝓽 - 𝓽𝓱𝓮 _𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟓_

You laid wide awake in bed. Staring up at the ceiling, you take a deep breath. You check your phone - 1:09am. You sigh again. Nothing is making it easy to doze off.

You throw your blankets off of you, and roll out of bed.

Of course you can't sleep. Your encounter with Kuroo kept replaying over and over, making you spiral. He could've kept his distance, but instead, he made assumptions. You thought his jealousy was playful when you were alone with him, but it was more serious considering how he acted.

You felt bad just leaving Bokuto there, ending your time together so abruptly. You kept apologizing through text after you finally calmed down. He reassured you everything was okay, and that he was also to blame for what happened.

Deep down, you knew your feelings for Kuroo were still there and your decision to choose him was still present. You're feelings for him had always been hidden under the excuse that you worked together. You still weren't comfortable with the idea of a relationship with a colleague, however, you knew Kuroo would always be on your mind if you didn't choose him. 

You stood in your kitchen space, you put all your weight in your forearms against the counter, eyes fixated on the wall in front of you. You waited for the water to heat up in the kettle.

Your head dropped between your arms out of exasperation. It would be easier if you had a better idea as how Kuroo felt about you. It had been a couple months of teasing, and mixed emotions. Maybe if he knew, the decision about what to do would be easier.

A ping to your phone came through from the other room. Ironically, Kuroo's name popped up on the screen, with the message _**you awake?**_

You blinked at the message, and responded yes. Despite you not being able to sleep, you were too exhausted mentally to try and decipher why he would be messaging you this late asking if you were awake.

You made your way back into the kitchen to pour your tea. As you poured, a bang at the door triggered you to jump. Before your mind could process anything, you checked the peep hole to see Kuroo leaning both hands against the door frame.

You looked down at yourself. An oversized band t-shirt and a pair of black panties hidden underneath. Of course. You didn't even want to think about what the rest of you looked like.

You unlocked the door, and opened it. You didn't say a word, just stared at him. Kuroo held your gaze before glancing you up and down, probably thinking about how you answered the door dressed the way you were.

He straightened himself up, and shoved his hands in his sweatpants pockets. You were actually surprised to see him in sweats, with his hair disheveled more than usual.

"Can I come in?" He was anxious. Obviously, it had been on his mind. 

Without a word, you walked back into the kitchen to grab your mug, Kuroo following right behind you. As you took a sip, you looked at him from under your eyelashes, waiting for him to start speaking.

"I want to apologize for earlier," You could hear the remorse in his voice.

"You didn't have to come all the way here to do that, especially at one in the morning." You sounded agitated. You weren't, but you weren't going to just forgive him so easily.

"I couldn't wait," Kuroo started, "I don't know what came over me. I should've just ... let you have your date with Bo."

By the way he enunciated the word _date_ , you could tell he envious.

"It doesn't matter now, I don't know if we'll keep seeing each other," You wanted Kuroo to feel at least some guilt. You couldn't help but feel petty, you wanted to give Kuroo a taste of his own medicine.

Kuroo leaned against the island directly across from you, crossing his arms, "Do you want to keep seeing him?"

You fell silent. You placed your mug behind you, out of the way.

"No." You said quietly.

Kuroo slowly drew closer to you.

"What changed your mind?" He wasn't smirking like he usually did. His arms gripped the countertop, on either side of you.

You tried to not fall into his trap, even though you could feel yourself losing any control you had on the situation. 

"I should be mad at you," Your tried to look him in the eyes, but you feel yourself become shy around him.

"You should be," He tucked a strand of your hair behind your ear. 

You could feel your body start to betray you. As much as you wanted to stand your ground, and not give in to your impulses, you couldn't resist him. His touch alone would be your undoing. 

"Kuroo," Your voice was soft, there was no fight in the way you said his name. You wanted him. 

"Y/n," He breathed your name effortlessly.

_He wanted you, too._


	14. 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> cw // sexual content

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // 𝓮𝓵𝓮𝓬𝓽𝓻𝓲𝓬 - 𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓪 𝓫𝓪𝓻𝓪𝔃 + 𝓴𝓱𝓪𝓵𝓲𝓭

You weren't expecting yourself to follow his movements. Kuroo had you propped on the counter, his lips brushed against yours, and you let him kiss you. Your lips parted, allowing his tongue to slide into your mouth. A small moan escaped you, and you could feel Kuroo smile as he kissed you. His tongue intertwined with yours. He gripped your sides, as you pushed yourself into him.

His hand trailed up one of your sides, under your shirt, keeping his other arm wrapped around your waist. You roamed your hands up his toned back, trying to hold onto him as he deepened the kiss even more, like he couldn't get enough. Your back curved, as you gladly sucked on his tongue.

He kneaded your breast, teasing your nipples between his fingers. You moaned into Kuroo's mouth, causing him to break away and move his lips down to your chest. He flicks your sensitive nipples with his tongue, toying with you. You head fell backwards, wondering if he knew how wet you were, even though he had barely done anything. His teeth graze them before bringing himself back up to kiss you again.

You could feel him against you, grinding his hard cock against your inner thigh. You run your palm against it, your fingers teasing his waistband. You pulled him closer, nipping his bottom lip before looking up at him under your lashes innocently.

"Please," You begged quietly. Kuroo pressed his forehead against yours, looking down between your bodies. 

"Please what?" He breathed, his hand taking hold on your ass, trying hopelessly to bring you closer to him. 

"Please, touch me," He rolled his forehead on yours, tugging at your panties for you to take them off. You slipped them off, as his mouth found yours again.

You felt as his fingertips traced your hip bones to your thighs. Your breath hitched as he entered two of his fingers into you, while rubbing your clit with the pad of his thumb. His fingers fit perfectly inside you. You could feel the pressure building up inside, coming undone under his ministrations.

His other hand cupped your jaw, his thumb pulling at your bottom lip, reminding you of the day in the alley.

"You're so wet," Kuroo's words let a small gasp in your throat escape. The hand on your jaw slowly moved to your throat, demanding you to look up at him. Kuroo kept eye contact as he pushed you to the edge. He reveled in the way your face contorted with pleasure. Your soft moans as he thrusted his fingers into you, building up into another orgasm.

Your tight walls clenched around him, moaning out his name as your arousal coats his fingers.

Kuroo smiles against your lips, pleased with how you're responding to him. You hips grinded against nothing without realizing, as you felt the emptiness from him pulling his fingers out.

Without saying a word, Kuroo picked you up by your soft thighs, and you buried your face in his neck, leaving small love bites. You feel the grip he has on you tense as you nip his ear.

He hovers over you after laying you down, taking in every inch of your body. Kuroo tugs his shirt over his head, and removes a condom from his sweats pocket before removing them as well. Ripping it open with his teeth, before holding it out to you.

"Put it on." The intense, dark look in your eyes made you inaudibly gasp for air. 

Taking his long, thick cock in your hands, you slowly rolled the condom up his shaft. His breathing was heavy; seeing your face only inches away from him, looking up submissively, your delicate fingers wrapped around the base of his cock - he felt like he was corrupting you.

Your hands desperately pull him closer, and find their way into his tousled hair. He ran himself up your slick folds, before easing into you. Oversensitive, you close your eyes trying to keep from whining at how good the burning sensation was as he entered you. But you didn't care about the pain, your body had been craving him ever since he first touched you.

Your nails clawed into his back as he bottomed out. You wrap your legs around his waist, lifting your hips up into him. Your desperation escalated as your moans became louder.

" _Fuck_ ," Kuroo groaned, thrusting deep into you, "Fuck, Y/n - so beautiful."

Kuroo brought his hand down and started rubbing your swollen clit, knowing you were far gone and nearing your last orgasm of the night. He continued to thrust into you, repeatedly hitting the same spot. You could barely choked out the words that you were close.

"Cum for me, baby," Kuroo demanded breathlessly.

That was all you needed. Without hesitation, you came around him, a knot of pleasure tightening as it took over. You gripped the bedsheets as you squirmed beneath him, your walls convulsing around him. 

You feel Kuroo's pace quicken before chasing his own orgasm, feeling his cock twitch inside you. The deep growl Kuroo let out, brought you down from your high.

His breathing became ragged as he fell beside you. You tilted your head in his direction, smiling sheepishly. Kuroo mimicked you, before placing a kiss on your forehead. 

_This is what you needed from him._


	15. 15

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // 𝓴𝓸𝓲 𝓷𝓸 𝓾𝓽𝓪 𝓲𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓾𝓶𝓮𝓷𝓽𝓪𝓵 - 𝓵𝓮𝓸𝓷 𝓪𝓵𝓮𝔁

The bed sheets were tangled up around your body. You hugged your pillow as you stretched out. You reached your arm out to the opposite side of the bed, feeling the emptiness beside you. You let out a small groan as you shifted your head to face the side Kuroo should have been on.

You laid there helpless. _Did something happen?_

You found the strength to sit your body up, keeping the sheets up around you. You scanned the room, your eyes falling onto the table beside your bed.

There was a disposable hot cup, barely even warm. There was a small heart drawn on the side of it. Next to it, was the love charm you picked out for Kuroo at New Years. The heaviness in your chest didn't fade away though. 

As you tugged the sheets with you off the bed, you brought cup into the kitchen to heat it up in the microwave. Part of you hoped he might have been seated in the common area, but every room was empty. Kuroo was no where to be found. 

You watched as the paper cup spun, clutching the talisman against your chest as you held the blankets up around you. _Why did he leave it?_

You didn't get a chance to talk to Kuroo, about where you stood with each other. You chose him, and thought after last night, you would be able to tell him.

Everyone in his life has been relaying his feelings to you. You were so sure that he wanted the same thing as you. Now, as you stood in your kitchen alone, maybe you were delusional to think that you were both on the same page.

As you held onto the charm, you felt a heavy pain in your chest. _Something wasn't right._

\- - - -

Something was off. You could feel it the moment you stepped into the building. You shook out your umbrella as you closed it up. The lobby was empty, your steps echoed as you made your way to the stairs. 

As you approached your desk, there was no coffee waiting as usual. It felt like an arrow through your chest. You needed to talk to him, but it would have to wait until later when you would be able to step away.

You anxiously waited until it neared your time for break. The moment it came, you immediately left your desk, and rushed up the couple flights of stairs. You tried to catch your breath, but your heart was beating out of your chest and you needed to get to Kuroo before you changed your mind about confronting him.

_You had to be imagining everything._

Only a step away from the door, and you heard someone clear their throat.

"He's in a meeting." The voice sounded sweet, but apologetic.

You turned around to see a young woman with short blonde hair sitting at a desk facing Kuroo's office. You've never seen her before, you weren't even sure what she did. She was new, you knew that much.

"Oh, do you know he'll be available?" Your voice was timid. As much as you wanted to ignore her and enter as you pleased, something was stopping you.

Her large brown doe eyes stared back at you, her expression seemed sad.

"He told me to let yo- anyone who came by know he won't be available for a while." 

You felt your chin tremble involuntarily. You heard her. She tried to stop herself before directing that comment towards you, but you knew she meant Kuroo wouldn't be available to see you for a while. Another arrow shooting through you.

You swallowed hard.

"Okay, thank you, um ..." You wanted to try your best to leave the situation as quickly as possible.

"Yachi," She said, bowing her head, "Sorry."

\- - - - 

𝕪𝕒𝕔𝕙𝕚'𝕤 𝕡𝕠𝕧

Yachi hesitantly knocked on the door. The first day at her new job as an assistant, hoping to make a good first impression with her boss. 

She didn't have a chance to meet her new boss at the interview since something had come up that day with another co-worker. Your interviewer seemed nice, but irritated that he wasn't able to attend. It was obvious that they did not appreciate the last minute cancellation.

"H-Hi, Kuroo ... Sir, I - my name is Hitoka Yachi, I'm your new assistant." Yachi couldn't believe she was stumbling over her words the way she was. 

Her eyes were shut tight as she quickly bowed her head. She heard no response right away. She peeked with one eye, noticing that Kuroo had his attention on the screen in front of him.

"Hm? Miss Hitoka, I'm sure you'll find everything you need on your desk outside my door."

Yachi stared blankly back at Kuroo, unsure how to respond. She wasn't expecting him to dismiss her like he did. Still in a state of uncertainty, Yachi turned to leave Kuroo's office. 

"Miss Hitoka," Kuroo's voice sounded dull, but he finally made eye contact with her. His eyes seemed empty, lost, "If a girl comes by looking for me, tell her I'm not available. For a while. Make something up."

No one came by for most of the morning. But Yachi figured someone would be coming by at some point. If not today, tomorrow maybe. She would have to lie to someone she barely knew. It didn't sit right with her.

The clicking of heels started to approach the office. Yachi noticed the young girl, her long (h/c) tied back in a high ponytail. The soft features of her face made her seem angelic. She was clearly out of breath, clearly she ran all the way here. However, Yachi noticed a sadness in her bearing. 

"He's in a meeting," slipped out of Yachi's mouth. The girl seemed shocked that someone even spoke to her.

There was a sadness in her voice, as well, as she asked when he would be available. Yachi pitied her. She wanted to tell her the truth, that he was right behind that door, and seemed just as sad as she was.

As Yachi repeated what Kuroo told her to say, she tried to catch herself. She didn't want to hurt her anymore than she already was. 

The girl paused for a moment, seeming to catch her breath before speaking.

"Okay, thank you, um ..." She stared blankly as she attempted to ask for her name.

Yachi finished her sentence, and apologized. Mostly apologizing for not being able to help her anymore than she could. 

Her gaze followed as the girl hurried out of the office, keeping her face covered. It was soon interrupted by Kuroo's office door opening. 

"Thank you, Miss Hitoka," Kuroo said, as he looked in the direction the girl left.

Yachi nodded, but before Kuroo could retreat into his office once again, she spoke up.

"Sir," Her voice trembled a little, "Please don't make me do that again."


	16. 16

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // 𝓭𝓻𝓲𝓿𝓮𝓻𝓼 𝓵𝓲𝓬𝓮𝓷𝓼𝓮 - 𝓸𝓵𝓲𝓿𝓲𝓪 𝓻𝓸𝓭𝓻𝓲𝓰𝓸

A lump had formed in your throat. The pent up anger from weeks of being ignored was coming to a head. When you looked at him, all hope for the happiness you wanted to share with him was quickly fading. 

The room started to spin as the heat rushed to your face. You didn't want him to effect you the way he did at that moment. This is what you wanted to avoid ever happening.

You could feel yourself holding back tears again. You just wanted answers, and he wouldn't give you any. Not knowing what you did wrong was killing you inside.

You typed a message into your phone asking Bokuto to meet you for coffee around the corner around noon. You needed to talk to someone, and even though you hadn't seen Bokuto since that night, you were trying to mend whatever friendship you could maintain with him.

He eagerly agreed, you could practically hear him through the text.

You impatiently waited for each minute to tick by until it was time to escape from your cubicle. You were trying to rush out the building as quickly as possible, but that would inevitably be your problem. You were so consumed with thoughts of Kuroo, that you didn't realize he was walking into your department as you were trying to leave.

You muttered a sorry, eyes glued to your feet, and kept walking. You drowned out his voice as he called your name. You couldn't speak to him now, not while you were in the state you were in. You'd either say the wrong thing out of anger, or start crying. Both, you wanted to avoid. You needed to regain your composure before you were able to face him.

Bokuto was waiting, back against the brick wall of the cafe. He perked up when he saw you walk towards him, but it rapidly faded when he saw dried tears on your pink cheeks.

You instantaneously latched onto him, burying your face into his chest. The walk was short, but you were finally able to release any emotions you were holding in.

Bokuto offered to grab you something inside, returning with an iced latte. He slung his arm around your shoulders as he took you on the scenic route back to work.

You calmly tried to explain the situation without tearing up again, hiccupping on some of your words at the tougher parts.

There was a long silence. You could tell Bokuto was thinking hard as to how to respond.

"You love him don't you," Bokuto suddenly said. It wasn't so much a question, as it was a statement.

"What," You blurted out, eyes wide and almost spitting out your drink.

"You love him," Bokuto couldn't help but laugh a little because of your reaction.

"No, no. Love? No." You started to ramble. _Could you be?_

"Ok keep telling yourself that," Bokuto laughed.

"I can't be. He's crazy jealous all the time, he doesn't seem to deal commitment very well, especially since he's been avoiding me after we ..." 

"Yeah, I get it," Bokuto said, brushing it off.

"And we work together. After all this, it's obvious it wouldn't work out."

"Well, you're not seeing Akaashi or me romantically anymore, he's probably just confused, and you should just quit." Bokuto seemed content to have solved every excuse you threw at him.

"That last one is easier said than done."

"Maybe once you're not around him anymore, he'll realize how much he likes you - maybe even _loves_ you," Bokuto started laughing to himself, almost like he was making fun of Kuroo. You appreciated Bokuto for trying to lighten the situation.

"I don't know about that," You didn't know how just up and leaving your job would get Kuroo to suddenly realize that he was in love with you. 

Even if you were considering the idea of leaving, you wouldn't know the first place to look. You wanted to make sure you had something lined up before you made that decision. It had been in the back of your mind, knowing that what you were currently doing wasn't what you wanted to do forever. You wanted something with a little more freedom.

"Well, even if you don't leave, if Kuroo doesn't come to realize how he feels about you soon, I'll deal with it myself," He said, punching his fist into his opposite palm.

You giggled as you skipped over puddles of melted snow mixed with rain. Talking with Bokuto helped you relax.

"Y/n," Bokuto's voice became serious, "How do you honestly feel about him?"

You stopped.

"I like him. Maybe more. I think I've known for a while, but ..." Your voice was soft, "I don't know what to do, I can barely look at him right now."

You were torn. You wanted someone to guide you in the right direction, or at least make all the hard decisions for you. You wanted someone to put Kuroo right in front of you and just have him tell you how he really felt. Then maybe, you would be able to respond because you knew the truth. But if it was that easy, you wouldn't be crying to Bokuto about him.

"Weird question, maybe ... But do you still have that good luck charm I gave you?"

You honestly forgot about it. You felt the insides of your pocket, realizing that it was still there. As you removed it, you saw Bokuto's face light up. As you held the string, Bokuto took the charm in his hand.

"I think this will come in handy soon," Bokuto said with a huge smile.

You hoped he was right.


	17. 17

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // 𝓾𝓷𝓻𝓮𝓺𝓾𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓵𝓸𝓿𝓮 (+ 𝓸𝓽𝓱𝓮𝓻 𝓬𝓵𝓲𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓼) - 𝓫𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝓾𝓹 𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓮𝓼

𝕜𝕦𝕣𝕠𝕠'𝕤 𝕡𝕠𝕧

_It wasn't fair to her._

Kuroo sat in his office, anxiously bouncing his knee. It had been weeks, but he hadn't stopped replaying that one morning.

He woke up next to her, tangled up in the bed sheets. He laid on his side admiring her. The way her long eye lashes rested on her cheeks. Listening to her calmly breath, locks of hair framing her face. She was ethereal.

She didn't stir when Kuroo moved to get out of bed. He retrieved his scattered clothes through out the apartment, getting dressed in the process. He slipped out of the apartment, something he did time and time again whenever he slept with someone else.

How would he be able to explain why he left?

But before he could register what he was doing, he stopped the door from locking behind him. What was he doing?

He wasn't ready to leave just yet. He decided to make a makeshift doorstop out of his jacket so he could return with a coffee for her. He jogged to the corner of her street to a small shop, ordering her favorite before rushing back to get out of the cold.

As he drew the heart on her cup like he had many times already, he slowly started to feel a tightness in his chest. He couldn't figure out what the feeling was. He was happy. Addicted. Anxious.

The confusion he felt made him want to crawl back into bed with her, wrap his arms around her, and lay there for the entirety of the day. But another part of him wanted to run out of the apartment as fast as he could. 

Unfortunately, he chose the latter.

\- - - -

A new assistant. Kuroo drowned out the words that came out of her mouth. He vaguely heard her name. Hitoka Yachi. That was all Kuroo needed to speak to her.

But telling her to let Y/n know that he wasn't available? _For a while?_

He knew he couldn't avoid this forever. And he couldn't put this burden of dealing with his problems on someone else.

As he heard the footsteps become distant, Kuroo emerged from his office to a disappointed assistant. Yachi stared at him with pleading eyes.

"Sir," Yachi's nervous voice implored, "Please don't make me do that again."

Kuroo leaned against his door frame and sighed. 

"I'm sorry," Kuroo was embarrassed, "I really didn't mean to put you in the middle of that. I didn't know how else to handle the situation."

"Do - do you need advice?" Kuroo could see that Yachi was trying to help. Maybe a girl's perspective was better than asking Bokuto for advice. He could only get so far with him before Bokuto would start making jokes at his expense, and empty threats of stealing her away. 

"I'm sorry! I shouldn't ask to not be involved and then try to be involved!" Yachi threw her hands up, and went to sit down at her desk. 

Kuroo pulled up a seat in front of her desk, and straddled it. 

"Would you seriously help me?" Kuroo begged.

Yachi's eyes became round brown saucers, she wasn't prepared for her boss who wouldn't give her the time of day earlier, to suddenly become so desperate. 

Yachi listened to Kuroo talk about Y/n. He told her about initially meeting Y/n on her first day, and that he was instantly attracted to her. He mentioned the New Years outing, and how he regretted bringing every one else along. He had wished it was just the two of them. But when he talked about the love talisman, that he bought it because of Y/n, he seemed to be lost in his own world. Kuroo went on about how he admired the way she laughed, and how beautiful she was when she became shy as he teased her.

"I'm not seeing a problem." Yachi blurted out. Kuroo snapped out of his daydreaming. 

"I'll be honest, I've never felt this way about someone," He admitted, "And I haven't talked to her since we ... I don't think it's work appropriate."

"It's not." Yachi said sternly, confirming she knew he was headed with that sentence.

Kuroo rubbed his face in his hands.

"You need to talk to her, but you need to tell her how you truly feel. You can't keep playing games and avoiding her. She needs to know," Her expression was melancholy, "She was hurt, really hurt."

Kuroo's stomach turned. He didn't want to see Y/n upset, and he knew. He heard the sound of her voice when she spoke to Yachi. He hated that he wouldn't move from his chair and face her earlier. What pained him the most was that he hated to acknowledge that he was scared.

Yachi watched as Kuroo wrestled with his thoughts.

"Maybe write down everything you just told me, all the things you love about her," Yachi smiled reassuringly, but Kuroo only heard one thing.

" _Love?_ " The idea hadn't crossed his mind. He knew he liked her, but love?

Yachi giggled, "After what you told me, that's what it sounds like. Why else would you get a _love_ talisman, especially because of her?"

\- - - -

A light tapping on the door awoke Kuroo from his daze. He had been reading the letter he wrote for Y/n for the past few days, and was trying to make sure it conveyed everything that was hard for him to say to her.

Yachi stood in the door frame.

"Sorry to bother you, but ... it's been a couple of weeks and you haven't done anything."

Kuroo knew she was referring to Y/n. He told her he would let her know how it went, and he hadn't said a thing about it since then. 

"Is it done?" Yachi motioned at the piece of paper Kuroo held.

Kuroo nodded, staring done at the letter again. _Was this good enough?_

"It's time," Yachi wasn't giving Kuroo much of a choice. Deep down, he knew if he didn't talk to Y/n soon, she would move on.

Kuroo scanned the letter one last time before realizing that it was probably around the time she went on break. He made his way down the hallway to the stairwell that connected their divisions. As he reached to turn the handle, the door was pushed open.

There she stood, eyes down, unwilling to acknowledge him. Her tired features were apparent at first glance; but it only took him a second to notice her eyes were puffy and bloodshot, as though she had been crying.

Kuroo could barely hear her mumble a sorry, as she made sure to avoid touching him as she squeezed by.

"Y/n," Kuroo called out, but he could see her pace pick up to a slow jog. It was obvious to him she was trying to get away from him. 

He wanted so badly to chase after her, but his legs wouldn't let him. He just stood there, watching her until she was completely out of his view.


	18. 18

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // 𝓪𝓸𝓲𝓫𝓻𝓲𝓭𝓰𝓮 - 𝓼𝓪𝔂𝓾𝓻𝓲

You spot Kuroo across the room, discussing something with one of your supervisors. Typically, you wouldn't pay too much mind, except you noticed them look at you throughout the conversation. 

You were finally able to control your rollercoaster of emotions when you saw him. And you were finally letting go of any future relationship that could possibly be salvaged with Kuroo.

But seeing him now, looking over at you, and clearly talking to someone about you, didn't sit right.

You felt as though someone punched you in the stomach as you watched your supervisor walk towards your desk. You pretended to be distracted with work, but you couldn't stop your eyes from wandering up with every step she took. 

"Y/n, I need you to run an errand for me," A sense of relief washed over you, "I need you to pick up a demo from this address, and then deliver it upstairs to the Sports Promotion Division."

You were aware you were really running the errand for Kuroo. You took the folded piece of paper, and briefly looked at it before agreeing to the assignment.

\- - - -

When you showed up to front door of the house, you knocked, not knowing what or who to expect.

As the door opened, it took a moment to register who was standing in front of you. 

"Hi, Y/n," Kenma's voice sounded as though you just woke him up. You didn't want to keep him long, so you tried to get to the point of your visit.

"I'm here to pick up the demo for -" 

Kenma cut you off, clearly not needing any more information, "I know."

He motioned you to come into the house, and you followed cautiously. You noticed how insanely large the house was, and wondered if he lived with other people. Kuroo never mentioned what Kenma did for a living.

He led you to a game room. It was a dark purple hue, illuminated only by the monitor screens and led lights. The walls were covered by shelves that stored almost every game and gaming system imaginable. 

"Kuroo called me to let me know you would be stopping by." He began shuffling papers together, trying to clear off some room.

"Oh," You mouthed.

There was an uncomfortable silence. You didn't know what to say around Kenma, he intimidated you in a way that you felt as though he was judging you at all times.

"What do you think of him?" Kenma said suddenly as he rummaged through some draws, trying to find what you came for. 

"Hm?" You were caught off guard by the question.

"Kuroo," Kenma elaborated. 

You weren't sure how to answer. You had barely spoke to Kuroo since it happened. You were sure he used you for a good time, and you ended up convincing yourself you were okay with it. That didn't minimize the hurt, but you weren't sure what else to do. You couldn't force him into anything, and you weren't going to try at this point. He made that pretty clear to you when he avoided you in the halls at work. 

Kenma took your silence as you weren't going to answer his question.

"He won't admit it, but he likes you," Kenma said, "He doesn't usually get to the relationship stage of things, but it seems different with you."

You were surprised to hear that from Kenma. Knowing Kuroo, he probably wouldn't want Kenma sharing this with you. But he was telling you things you've been wanting to hear.

"Different?" You scoffed, You couldn't tell by Kenma's tone of voice if this was a good thing or a bad thing, "I wouldn't be so sure. He's hasn't spoken to me since ..."

Your voice trailed off. For a second, you forgot you were talking to someone you barely knew, despite the fact that he knew Kuroo so well.

Kenma sighed as though he wasn't surprised, "That's what he does when he's scared."

"Great," You mumbled under your breath. You were tracing the room, tracing your finger tips along the row of games. You were amazed by the collection, not to mention the recognition he received with his streaming and other projects. You were able to gather what Kenma did for a living, and by the looks of it, the entire place was his.

Kenma snapped you out of your distraction.

"If it makes you feel better, I don't think it's the same as other girls he's been with."

"What do you mean?" At this point, Kenma was your only source for fully understanding Kuroo.

"I've never seen him try so hard for one person, and he won't shut up about you," Kenma disappeared into a backroom before emerging again, item in hand, "He likes the chase. And according to you, he already got what he wanted. Yet, he still seems to want you."

"I feel like I should be offended," You chuckled, "But I don't think he still _wants_ me."

Kenma just stared at you expressionless. 

"Did he ever mention how happy he was that you actually said yes to coming out on New Years?" Kenma asked.

You shook your head no. 

He sighed again, "If I had to hear one more time about how cute he thought it was when your face turned red when you got all shy, I was going to drop him as a friend."

Hearing Kenma tell you Kuroo thought you were cute then, instantly made you blush. You tried to hide your face, lifting your hand to cover what redness you could.

You saw a smirk appear, probably his attempt at smiling.

"He thinks you're still seeing other people, and clueless when it comes to you," Kenma handed you what you came for, "He's guarded, and he won't admit that he wants you unless you do something about it."

Kenma walked you to the front door. Before you left, you asked Kenma a couple of questions that had been on your mind from your previous encounter. Satisfied with his answers, you thanked him and went on your way.


	19. 19

𝓷𝓸𝔀 𝓹𝓵𝓪𝔂𝓲𝓷𝓰 // ふたりごと 𝓯𝓮𝓪𝓽.春茶 - 𝓴𝓸𝓫𝓪𝓼𝓸𝓵𝓸, 𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓾𝓬𝓱𝓪

You still hadn't adjusted to the change. You went from everyday business life, to sitting under a kotatsu in Kenma's house, in a matter of a few days. It was surreal, but exciting nonetheless.

The past couple of weeks were difficult. Whenever you would pass Kuroo in the halls, he always motioned as though he wanted to say something, but stopped himself. He didn't know you would be leaving, and you knew if you brought it up to him, you didn't want him to say anything to deter you from your decision.

Kenma had agreed to take you on as his assistant on your last visit with him. You were grateful, and decided this change was for the better. It had become increasingly uncomfortable at work with Kuroo, not to mention, you started to have this undeniable want to leave. After learning that Kenma was in search of someone to help him promote himself and ease some of his work load, you seized the opportunity.

As you sorted through the paperwork scattered across the table, you heard Kenma approach the room you were in, on a phone call.

"Yeah ... I don't know what you expected ... You need to calm down ... I know ... Yeah." You could vaguely hear the person on the other line. They were ranting about god knows what, and Kenma's mono-tone voice made you giggle. He was clearly over the conversation.

"Oh? You're here?" Your ears perked up, as Kenma's left the room to greet the unknown caller at the front door.

"Can you believe she would quit?!" The voice rang through the house, causing you to stop writing down your notes. 

"She didn't even say anything."

His voice was gradually closing in on you. Kenma wasn't responding to anything he was saying, but you knew he was leading him to you. You stood up, brushing yourself off to look presentable as you could in leggings and a sweatshirt.

"Are you ignoring -" His voice cut off as he stood in the door frame. He looked at you dumbfounded. 

"I'll let you two talk," Kenma left the room without another word.

There was long silence between the two of you. You would see that Kuroo looked as though he hadn't slept in a couple of days. You tried your best to smile, and stay as calm as possible. One part of you wanted to yell at him for treating you the way he did, and the other part wanted to hug him - you missed him.

Kuroo finally spoke up.

"So, you quit?"

"Yes. I'm Kenma's assistant now, actually," You said brushing a piece of hair behind your ear.

"Why didn't you tell me you were leaving?" The aggravation in his voice was apparent.

"Why should I have? You hadn't talked to me in weeks, you told your assistant you were unavailable," You snapped, "I thought this was a better choice for me, anyways, career-wise."

You voice trailed off a little at the end. It was the truth, but the other reason that you hated to admit, was because of Kuroo. Not because it was hard to work with him after your short-lived relationship, but because, part of you hoped that by leaving, you would be able to rekindle that relationship without having the burden of working together. You would have nothing holding you back anymore.

You both stood there, staring at each other. Despite the bags under his eyes, he looked good; standing there in his black dress shirt and slacks. He grabbed at the knot of his red silk-knit tie, and loosened it. 

"I wasn't sure what to do." The insecurity in his voice was apparent. 

"Do about what?" You knew the answer, but you wanted it hear it from him.

He rubbed the back of his neck. 

Feelings for him started to arise again. You missed him, and if Kenma said was true, you needed to let him know.

"Kuroo," Your voice was timid, and it was hard for you to get his name out, "I miss you."

He didn't reciprocate. He didn't even make a movement. For a moment, you weren't sure if it was worth saying anything. _He won't admit that he wants you unless you do something about it _, Kenma's words replayed in your head again.__

__"Kuroo," You took a step forward, you felt like you were approaching a small animal, as if you didn't want to scare it, "I want to be with you."_ _

__This time, you watched as Kuroo let out a long breath, as though he hadn't breathed the entire time. You stood in front of him, keeping eye contact with him._ _

__"Kuroo," You were only able to say his name, and nothing else._ _

__Kuroo's mouth was on yours. You melted into him the moment his arms wrapped around you. Your hands traced up his chest. You missed the feeling of being able to touch him, kissing him. Having him like this now, you didn't want to let go._ _

__"Y/n," Kuroo said, his forehead pressed against yours, "I'm in love with you."_ _

__Your eyes widened. You weren't prepared to hear those words come from Kuroo._ _

__You reached into your pocket and gently pulled out the love good luck charm you had originally chosen for him on New Years. You held it up in between you, mirroring that moment._ _

__Kuroo brought his hand to yours, his finger slipping through the ribbon as he fingers interlaced with yours, allowing the charm to be pressed against your palms._ _

__"Be with me."_ _

__You smile spread across your face. I'm going to make you mine, replayed in your mind. When he first said that to you, you thought it was all a game to him, despite how badly you wanted it to be true._ _

__Now he was standing in front of you, offering himself to you just like you wanted._ _

__A small laugh escaped from your lips, you took a small step closer to him and looked up at him._ _

___"I'm yours."_ _ _


End file.
